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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 13 Hansard (26 November) . . Page.. 4705 ..

MR HARGREAVES (continuing):

A large number of Cypriots have migrated to Australia as refugees since the Turkish incursion of 1974. These people have lost their homes and other property and have been denied the right to return to their homes by the occupying forces. To this day, many remember vividly the tragic days of the occupation and the conditions they had to endure, living in tents, many of which were provided by Australia. While the vast majority of these refugees have built successful lives in Canberra, many still feel cheated and frustrated that their homes are occupied by settlers from the Anatolian region of Turkey brought into the occupied territory of Cyprus.

Since 1975, when the Cyprus Community of Canberra and Districts was set up, it has focused its efforts and resources on highlighting the plight of the refugees, on informing the wider Australian community about ongoing violations of human rights in Cyprus and on pushing for the reunification of the island, based on numerous United Nations resolutions.

Cyprus' successful admission into the European Union has raised hope within the Cyprus community of Canberra that it will prove a catalyst for the reunification of the island and the possible return of the refugees to their homes. Turkey aspires to join the European Union, and many Cypriots hope that this will eventually require it to peacefully settle the Cyprus issue before it is allowed to join.

Mr Speaker, undoubtedly members of the Assembly have received comments about this issue from many members of our community, including a statement from the ACT coordinator of the Australian Hellenic Council, John Kalokerinos, who said:

Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot leadership has shown contemptuous disregard for the UN resolutions and in particular to the Secretary-General Kofi Annan plan that has been endorsed by the European Union and the United States, and agreed to by the Cyprus Government as a basis for negotiations.

The president of the Cyprus community of Canberra, Georgia Alexandrou, who was only seven years old when the occupation took place in 1974, remembers the radio broadcast on the morning of 20 July 1974 announcing that Turkey had invaded Cyprus. Later her memories are vivid as she recalls the men in the village, including her father and uncle, dressed in military uniforms, leaving their families to go to war.

Ms Alexandrou also recalls the second phase of the occupation when, on 15 August 1974, Turkish planes flew low above her village and bombed Nicosia international airport. She saw many people from other villages assign through her village to escape from the Turkish troops.

By the end of September 1974, when it was time to return to school after the holidays, the new students that had come to her school were refugees, with whom she shared her clothes and toys. It was at this time that assistance arrived from many countries, including Australia, complementing the support from the Red Cross that was providing food and other supplies.

Many Greek Cypriot lives were lost during the war, with many others captured as prisoners of war. Between 1974 and 1975, Turkish troops carried out a forced exchange of people from both ethnic groups-the Cypriot and the Turkish-with families

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